Proud sponsor of The Challenge

At Philips Lighting Academy, we lead the way in educating customers and students about the many possibilities of lighting technology and cutting-edge innovations. Students are the future and that is why we are partnering in The Challenge, which is organized by VIA Events. The Challenge is a student speaker competition in the run-up to the next PLDC that takes place in Rome from October 28 to 31, 2015. Students who participate in the competition will have the chance to speak to an international audience at the next PLDC.

The Challenge exists of four rounds in which young lighting talents are coached to success by lighting experts. The goal of the program is to discover newcomers in the field of lighting design and to help the next generation of lighting specialists to become an accepted part of the lighting design community.

Round I: selection of students at participating universities

Round II: selection of best 15 students to go on to Round III

Round III: mini-conference in Edinburgh/UK in February 2015

Round IV: final at PLDC 2015 in Rome in October 2015

Last year, round I and II took place. Round III will be held in Edinburgh on February 2 and 3. During this two-day conference, the 15 young designers that passed the first two rounds will present about their topic. Next to this, the five professional lighting designers and coaches of the students will also present, concluding with a critical debate on "LEDs are the only valid light source".

Talents participating in the competition are students or recent graduates from PLDC 2015 Partner Universities and young designers working for renowned offices around the world. The two-day conference is an official warm-up event for PLDC 2015 in Rome!

“We are all a product of our environment and being a coach in The Challenge student speaker competition is a privilege and an opportunity to repay my mentors and tutors who moulded and influenced my development, career and presentations. To work with these young and vibrant individuals is a pleasure and I only hope that I can help them as much as others have helped me. The 15 speakers will deliver stimulating presentations in Edinburgh and it’s going to be tough to select one of my three students to go through to the finals in Rome. The Challenge is a fantastic platform for the students and the audience is in for a treat!”